Mues Jonas P, Flohr Stefan, Kurpiers Nicolas
Department of Sports Science, University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany.
Sports (Basel). 2025 Jun 13;13(6):186. doi: 10.3390/sports13060186.
Sedentary behavior is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for various health issues, including cognitive decline.
This pilot study examined the acute and chronic effects of workplace-integrated exercise snacks-short, vigorous bouts of exercise-on cognitive performance in middle-aged adults.
Twenty-five sedentary but healthy office workers (51.4 ± 5.3 years; 6 m/19 f) participated. The intervention group ( = 12) performed three 1 min bouts of vigorous exercise (running on the spot) daily, four days a week, for four weeks, while the control group ( = 13) maintained their usual routine. Cognitive performance was assessed pre-intervention, shortly following the first exercise bout (acute effects), and post-intervention (chronic effects) using the Trail Making Test and the Stroop Color-Word Test.
Significant acute improvements ( ≤ 0.05) were observed across all cognitive outcomes following a single bout of exercise. Significant interaction effects ( ≤ 0.05) were found across all cognitive outcomes after four weeks, indicating sustained cognitive benefits.
These findings suggest that workplace-integrated brief, vigorous exercise may lead to both immediate and sustained enhancement in executive functions such as working memory, processing speed, and inhibitory control. They highlight the potential cognitive health benefits of incorporating exercise snacks into sedentary workplace environments.
久坐行为越来越被认为是包括认知能力下降在内的各种健康问题的风险因素。
这项试点研究考察了融入工作场所的运动小食——短暂、剧烈的运动时段——对中年成年人认知表现的急性和慢性影响。
25名久坐但健康的上班族（年龄51.4 ± 5.3岁；男性6名/女性19名）参与了研究。干预组（n = 12）每周四天，每天进行三次1分钟的剧烈运动（原地跑步），持续四周，而对照组（n = 13）维持其日常习惯。在干预前、首次运动时段后不久（急性影响）以及干预后（慢性影响），使用连线测验和斯特鲁普颜色-文字测验评估认知表现。
单次运动后，所有认知结果均观察到显著的急性改善（p≤0.05）。四周后，所有认知结果均发现显著的交互作用效应（p≤0.05），表明认知益处持续存在。
这些发现表明，融入工作场所的简短、剧烈运动可能会立即并持续增强执行功能，如工作记忆、处理速度和抑制控制。它们凸显了在久坐的工作场所环境中加入运动小食对认知健康的潜在益处。
